Just when the European continent was about to be filled with flames of war, in the distant Indian Ocean, a powerful fleet was conducting a T-shaped artillery firing drill.
"The left rudder...the starboard camp...fired in a straight line..." On the blue sea, ten sail warships lined up in a row, their bows pierced the water and drew white waves, and a burst of light suddenly broke out on the starboard side of the entire fleet. The dazzling red light and the rumbling sound of the cannon were like muffled thunder, pressing in all directions.
A heavy rain of lead bullets hit the target ship filled with empty wooden barrels in the distance. In order to increase the effect, some of the barrels were mixed with flammable black powder. After a while, the sea surface was suddenly a sea of fire.
"Clean the gun breech... prepare for the second shot... change the sail..." After the artillery salvo was fired, the battleship was filled with the voices of officers giving orders. The flag-bearers of each ship were desperately communicating with flags, and the sail handlers pulled the thick and heavy cables. Mian Ruanfan began to adjust his attitude.
In the center of the queue of ten battleships, a tall sailing battleship's gun port was wide open, and the black muzzle looked into the distance from the side like the eyeball of a deep-sea siren.
This fleet is the essence of France's naval power in Asia. The only purpose of their existence is to protect the Bay of Bengal, which belongs to the emperor.
At this time, India was still in the colonial stage of being divided between Britain and France. Although Britain had gained the upper hand in India's struggle for hegemony by relying on its navy and strong industrial strength, due to the Crimean War and the cooperation in the capture of Beijing, the relationship between the two countries The relationship is still very close.
The special envoy of Napoleon III and the most trusted captain of the bodyguard, Chevalier Molière, stood on the deck of the flagship Glorious, holding a delicate brass telescope in his hand, his face extremely gloomy.
Standing next to him is the commander-in-chief of this fleet, the captain of the Glory, Rear Admiral Bruce. Although in the past, the Major General's arrogant chin could hang clothes, but in front of Molière, the captain of the bodyguard who was far below him, he became so cautious that he didn't even dare to breathe.
Since ancient times, the servants of the prime minister's family have all been seventh-rank officials, not to mention the emperor's most trusted captain of the bodyguard. What's more, Molière is the emperor's personal envoy to the East, specifically authorizing this loyal knight to mobilize military forces throughout Asia. Quan, how could such a status not make these colonial defenders awe-inspiring.
"Sir Special Envoy, isn't our excellent navy well-trained enough? Although I admit that it is a little worse than the British Navy, we are invincible against those Asian barbarians..."
Molière smiled lightly, "Your Excellency, Major General, please just call me Molière. There is no need to use the honorific... I know that the heroic colonial regiment is absolutely reliable under your leadership, but there is still some faint feeling in my heart." uneasiness..."
"Is our training really in place? Are our preparations really sufficient? When we were performing the artillery bombardment just now, I clearly felt that when the entire fleet was on the left and full rudder, there was some disharmony among the ships. What exactly was it? The reason? Flagbearer or helmsman? Could it be that there is something wrong with the weight of the ship's hull..."
Major General Bruce never expected that this special envoy actually had two skills. He was definitely not a fat-minded politician like Paris. His Majesty the Emperor's trust in him was absolutely justified.
Molière unceremoniously pointed out the weaknesses of the mixed fleet, especially the issue of coordination among the ships, which he repeatedly emphasized. Although he used all honorifics in and out of his words, the barbs in his tone could be heard by any fool. come out.
"Actual combat, what our navy needs is actual combat. The colonial life in Asia has prevented us from competing with equally matched opponents for a long time. Usually, everyone is dispersed and stationed in various ports. In addition to dealing with some backward and ignorant indigenous pirates, There are no more missions, but we must not take it lightly, any accident may happen on the battlefield..."
Molière had a smile on his face and spoke honorifics but showed no emotion in his words. His Majesty the Rear Admiral did not dare to refute even a single word.
But not saying anything does not mean that General Bruce will not complain in his heart. Damn you politicians from Paris, how do you know the difficulties of the colonies? The emperor lived in the Palace of Versailles and only knew how to let the colonies transport gold and various supplies endlessly. Who cares whether our daily funding is in place or not?
When nothing happens, you keep deducting military expenses on the grounds that the colonies are barbarians and don't need too much firepower. When we need to work hard, you never mention the deduction of money. Instead, you only know how to find faults in the eggs.
You want me to train? OK, where's the military spending? Who should pay for the gunpowder for artillery shooting, and where can we collect the lost artillery? Are we still allowed to exploit those indigenous people? What other property do they have now besides some wild vegetables?
However, General Bruce still did not dare to challenge the dignity of the special envoy. He could only apologize carefully and said with a smile, "You are right. You have indeed pointed out our problem to the point... However, what we have to deal with this time is just one person." The little Ryukyu is just an island country on the sea that is even inferior to the backward Qing Dynasty. Now our combat power is absolutely no problem..."
"I know, I know where your confidence comes from, but I just have an inexplicable worry... That Oriental is really not like an Oriental..." Molière said quietly.
At this moment, the lookout on the mast suddenly shouted, "Unidentified ship found in the northwest... I can see it clearly... It's an Arab dhow, a cargo ship..."
Before he finished speaking, Molière picked up the telescope and looked to the northwest. Gradually, a sinister smile appeared on his lips. "My general, can you tell me what kind of ship this is?"
Bruce couldn't figure out why the special envoy spoke in such a tone, but when he saw the sailboat in the telescope, he couldn't help but smile.
"Oh, this is an Arabian dhow, with a displacement of about forty tons. It is a small cargo ship... This kind of cargo ship is too common in the Indian Ocean. Tea and porcelain from China, cotton and curry from India, and Sri Lanka Various gemstones... It is this small sailing ship that supports the trade network of the Indian Ocean..."
Just when General Bruce was showing off his knowledge, Molière interrupted him with a grin, "No, no, no... this is a pirate ship, isn't it? You'd better take a closer look, don't you think this is A pirate ship?”
The decisive tone didn't sound like a question. General Bruce's heart skipped a beat at that moment. He already understood what the special envoy meant.
At this moment, the lookout above the head shouted again, "The ships from the northwest sent a signal... They expressed their condolences to the invincible French navy, and were willing to give us twenty barrels of wine and some spices as gifts..."
As soon as the lookout finished speaking, General Bruce's back started to sweat. He was scolding in his mind, "You damn bastard, how dare you translate such a semaphore when you know the special envoy is around. Isn't this just telling the special envoy us?" Do you usually collect tolls when you have nothing to do? This time it is broken, the value of the gift prepared for the special envoy will be doubled..."
"Haha, they are indeed pirates. When I saw the powerful combat power of the French navy, I immediately thought of bribing us... My Lord Rear Admiral, don't you feel that your dignity has been challenged?"
As soon as he finished speaking those strange words, General Bruce didn't hesitate anymore. He roared and issued orders, spitting out more than half a meter away.
"The entire fleet is deployed in a T-shape, and the port guns are ready for a salvo... We, we are going to sink this pirate ship!"
"What?" With a bang, other officers and sailors on the deck were stunned. Is the General crazy today? It's obviously an ordinary merchant ship, why should it fire? Moreover, people have approached without warning. They are here to bring wine and spices to everyone. How can they open fire?
People looked at the general with puzzled eyes, but the general obviously felt his face turned red. He yelled with a louder voice, "Execute the order, do you dare to question my judgment? I am the commander-in-chief of the fleet!"
Now no one dared to neglect, and the flagman began to issue orders to other warships. Soon each ship adjusted its posture, and the gun door on the starboard side was opened, revealing the muzzles of black holes densely packed like the eyes of a siren.
The cargo ship in the northwest clearly felt the strange atmosphere. There were figures shaking on the deck of the ship, and there were waves of strange and incomprehensible screams coming from the sea breeze.
"What's wrong with these French people? Why are they showing us cannons? Don't they think the gifts are enough? Send a signal quickly, we will triple the amount of gifts and send a big bag of the highest quality Sri Lankan gems..."
At this time, Molière looked at the merchant ships in the distance with a gloomy expression, and said faintly, "Poor weak people, you may never know why I want to kill you. In fact, the answer is very simple, I just need some blood and life to practice It’s just military training, I will definitely not lose the war in the future..."
The envoy's voice was so low that only Bruce could hear it. At this time, the general's heart was filled with fear. He finally knew that this young man with a smile on his face who liked to use honorifics the most, all his friendly appearances were fake, but in his heart More cruel than those Paris politicians.
"Every ship prepares to fire...God bless France, let us punish these pirates...Fire!"
After a while, a burst of wind suddenly blew on the ocean, and the hulls of all the battleships shook. Orange flames rushed out from the starboard side, and billowing white smoke filled the sea.
The demons of hell began to roar, and the violent rain of lead bullets covered the entire sea where the merchant ship was located. The Arabian dhow was instantly torn into pieces without even a trace of struggle, and the white water arose on the sea was as white as the following. It started raining heavily.
Bruce put down the telescope with trembling hands. He stood sideways behind the special envoy and saluted him respectfully, "Sir special envoy, the pirates have been hanged. Please give instructions!"
"Hehehe... Well done, let's set sail and target the ancient empire in the east. I don't want to see a pirate ship along the way. I think you can understand what I mean..."
"I obey your order. Along the way, you will witness countless heroic actions of the French Navy in attacking pirates. By the time we see the Naha Port, all the shortcomings that I worry about will be made up for!"
"Very good, now let's move forward with full sail. We are going to have a speed competition. I hope you won't let me down!" With Molière's smile, ten French warships set sail and sailed towards the east.
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